[NewCandle] Ongoing aluminum foil hydrolysis

[Nick Reiter]

Good afternoon all,

Just wanted to stop by with a brief mention that I'm
now two runs further along with the aluminum foil roll
hydrolysis project.

A couple of weeks ago, after getting my new D2O from
U-Nuclear, I set up a bucket with the typical NaCl and
distilled water mix, but this time took the level of
D2O up 5x to 50ml per 4 liters. Same foil roll mass,
etc.

Neat effect this time, though I have no good excuse
for it.  At comparable rest temps, the bubbling from
the rolls took off, but the mean bubble size was much
smaller - literally a high rate super "fizz" rather
than the larger (>3mm) bubbles that would be evident
when either normal water or slightly D2O enhanced
water was used.  Does added D2O somehow reduce the
surface tension or energy of water?  I let the bucket
fizz merrily for about 8 days.  During that time, it
seems to have hydrolyzed / evaporated about 1.5
liters, which I made up from distilled water.

Did some EDS work on foil roll surfaces at three
depths again, though this time, I was careful to
adjust my spot size down to hopefully minimize the
aluminum echoes that caused us debate and kerfuffle
before.  The "pseudo-silver" and "pseudo-yttrium"
peaks still evident to a small degree.  Overall, not
much different from the 10ml/4l run, with two
exceptions being minor (<1%) peaks that hover at the
noise level for fluorine F and gadolinium Gd.  Both of
these peaks seem to be on the metal surface, as
opposed to the oxide crust.  Their iffy magnitude
places them into the "we need to do this one again"
category.

Another curiosity by absence though is the continued
non-appearance of the elusive boron peaks which were
seen only in the first "normal water" NaCl run a
couple months back.

The latest bucket bubbling away was a departure that
Sam and I had concurred on, but that I had tossed onto
the table a year or so ago when the idea of cavity
constrained hydrolysis popped up.  Use a lithium salt
instead of sodium.  So this latest bucket running is
laced with LiCl in lieu of NaCl.  The reaction took
off much faster, within about 1/2 hour of addition as
opposed to about 36 hours to get started using NaCl. 
And curiously, the visible surfaces of the Al are much
cleaner and silvery colored, and have not taken on the
gun metal grey oxidized rough form of the NaCl runs.

When I hold a lighter at the liquid surface and ignite
bubbles coming off, there is the diabolical crimson
hue of Li spectra to greet the Halloween season.

NR

The Holy Grail 'neath ancient Roslin waits.
The blade and chalice guarding o'er Her gates. 
Adorned in the masters' loving art, She lies;
She rests at last beneath the starry skies.